Pakistan’s poorest families are being crushed by runaway food inflation that’s making even bread unaffordable.
The numbers are brutal. Prices for flour, cooking oil, and vegetables have jumped 30-40% in the last six months alone. A family spending 3,000 rupees on groceries last year now needs nearly 4,500. That’s not a small bump—that’s the difference between eating and skipping meals.
When Basics Become Luxuries
The poorest 20% of Pakistan’s population spend 60% of their income on food. When lentils cost twice as much, when ghee becomes a rare treat, entire household budgets collapse. Shopkeepers in Karachi’s Orangi Town and Lahore’s walled city report fewer customers. People are buying less, eating less. Kids are showing up to school hungrier.
Dr. Asad Sayeed, economist at the Collective for Social Science Research, explains it plainly: “This isn’t just economics—it’s a humanitarian issue. When inflation hits food this hard, the poorest don’t cut back on luxuries. They cut back on nutrition.” The government’s recent rate hikes aimed at controlling inflation have backfired for the vulnerable.
Wheat production dropped 15% this year due to heat stress. Imported oils face currency headwinds. Supply chains remain broken. The central bank keeps interest rates high to fight inflation, but that chokes businesses and kills jobs. More jobless people. Fewer resources. A vicious cycle.
Political pressure is mounting. Food inflation is personal—people feel it in their stomachs. Opposition parties are calling for price controls. Economists warn that’ll make shortages worse. The government says patience is needed for structural reforms to work. Meanwhile, families are choosing between rent and rice.
For Pakistan’s economy, this is a ticking time bomb. Hunger drives desperation. Desperation drives instability. The government needs visible relief soon—not promises of recovery in six months.
Source: The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/16/islamic-state-abu-bilal-al-minuki-killed-by-us-nigerian-forces-trump-says
